Harmonization of Rules of Origin: An Agenda for Plurilateral Cooperation?

Bernard Hoekman and Stefano Inama ()
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Stefano Inama: UNCTAD

East Asian Economic Review, 2018, vol. 22, issue 1, 3-28

Abstract: This article discusses the deadlock in the WTO on multilateral harmonization of non-preferential rules of origin (RoO) and reviews some of the RoO included in recent preferential trade agreements. We argue that there is a trend towards adoption of similar approaches and that this suggests that cooperation to reduce the trade-impeding effects of differences in RoO across jurisdictions is more feasible than often is assumed by observers and policymakers. From a trade facilitation perspective such cooperation could be based on plurilateral initiatives under the umbrella of the WTO. These could include a focus on pursuit of greater convergence between preferential and nonpreferential RoO helping to achieve the long-standing goal of moving towards harmonization of rules of origin.

Keywords: Rules of Origin; WTO; Trade Agreements; Plurilateral Cooperation; Regulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F13 F15 F33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:eaerev:0336

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